Netherlands

organic electronic

Joep Mencke

Unders

The international nonprofit organization, 

, returns to Amsterdam Dance Event in 2022 with Clean The Beat: Amsterdam. The sustainability-focused event is the perfect way to enjoy the breathtaking beauty of Amsterdam's picturesque Westerpark, get your house music fix, and help keep the iconic canals of Amsterdam free from waste.

Founded by DJ and producer BLOND:ISH, Bye Bye Plastic has been a leader in initiatives that encourage those in the music industry to be active in finding plastic-free solutions for clubs and festivals worldwide

The second edition of CTB takes place on Wednesday, October 19th, pitting teams of eco-warrior ravers against each other in a one-hour scavenger hunt-style cleanup in Westerpark. Grab your rave crew and join as a group or make some new friends by joining the effort solo. Teams will scour the park for various trash types to earn points and prizes. Last year's event pulled 80 participants to remove a mind-blowing 440 liters (equal to 970 lbs) of waste from the canals.

A happy hour at Bar Kantoor with DJs Joep Mencke and Unders will cap off the day of awareness, intention, and action toward a greener planet.

Asiri

Joep Mencke is the perfect choice for Bye Bye Plastic's focus on sustainability. Drawing heavy inspiration from the natural world, this Dutch artist's organic textures, and emotionally charged melodic techno lead listeners on inward journeys. He recently had the honor of closing out on Robot Heart at Burning Man and has taken his transcendent music to Ibiza, Turkey, and the Pleinvrees Festival in Amsterdam.

Unders, also from the Netherlands, topped the Billboard electronic charts in 2016 with "Syria," weaving together hypnotic melodic motifs and pulsating beats. At this year's Burning Man, he helped provide a scintillating soundtrack for Studio Drift's epic experiential art piece bringing together his emotive beats with 1000 drones in the night sky over Black Rock City. Although his music is ideally suited for the likes of Robot Heart, Awakenings, Fusion Festival in Germany, and WooMoon in Ibiza, he's far more than a fascinating musical artist. Similar to BLOND:ISH, he's used his platform to bring to light the injustices of the fossil fuel industry and has been an activist in the space, helping encourage others to search for solutions positively.

Bar Kantoor - Westerpark

Clean The Beat: Amsterdam (ADE)

Every October, the city of Amsterdam transforms. Its canals and historic streets become the backdrop for the Amsterdam Dance Event (ADE), the world's most significant and comprehensive gathering for electronic music culture and its industry. For five days, the Dutch capital pulses with the energy of hundreds of thousands of international visitors – a mix of artists, industry professionals, and passionate fans. ADE is a unique hybrid: simultaneously the planet's largest club-based festival, featuring over 2,500 artists across 1,000+ events in around 200 venues, and the leading conference for the electronic music business. It's the essential meeting point where creativity, culture, and commerce converge.

The journey of ADE mirrors the evolution of electronic music itself. It began modestly in 1996 as a three-day conference focused primarily on the business side of a rapidly growing scene. Conceived by industry figures and the Dutch music rights organization Buma/Stemra, the initial event hosted around 300 delegates and featured about 30 DJs in a few key Amsterdam clubs like 

. From these humble origins, ADE experienced exponential growth, expanding its duration to five days and nights and seeing attendance figures soar past 400,000, even reaching 500,000 in recent years. This remarkable expansion earned it recognition as one of the world's fastest-growing festivals based on attendance increase since its inception.

This growth wasn't just in numbers; ADE's scope broadened significantly. While the ADE Pro conference remains its vital professional core, the event evolved to embrace music lovers and the wider public. It added components like ADE Lab (formerly part of ADE Playground), offering workshops, masterclasses, and tech showcases for aspiring creators, and the Arts & Culture program, featuring film screenings, art installations, and unique performances in unconventional spaces like the Rijksmuseum. Specialized tracks like ADE Green (focusing on sustainability) and ADE Tech further deepened its relevance.

The ADE experience is built on distinct yet interconnected pillars. ADE Pro is the definitive global business platform, where industry leaders from labels, agencies, tech companies (like Spotify, TikTok, Google), and more gather for networking, deal-making, and discussions shaping the future. Keynotes, panels, and workshops cover everything from market trends and technology to sustainability and mental health.

Running parallel is the ADE Festival, a city-wide musical marathon showcasing the entire spectrum of electronic music - from house and techno to EDM, trance, drum & bass, and beyond. Legendary clubs, massive arenas like the Johan Cruijff Arena (home to the Amsterdam Music Festival - AMF), and intimate, unique venues host performances by global superstars (like 

ADE Lab and the Arts & Culture program serve as the creative incubator, connecting aspiring artists with established professionals through masterclasses (featuring artists like 

), demo drops, gear showcases, and cultural events. This focus on talent development ensures a pipeline for the industry's future.

Ultimately, ADE functions as the indispensable global nexus for the electronic music world. It's where the industry sets its agenda, where trends are born, where deals are struck, and where the global community connects. Its influence extends beyond business, enabling cultural exchange and providing a platform to address critical issues like diversity, inclusion, and climate justice within the scene. By transforming Amsterdam into the world's electronic music capital for five days each year, ADE not only reflects the state of the genre but actively shapes its future, maintaining its status as the heartbeat of the international electronic music community.

Clean The Beat: Amsterdam (ADE)

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